A New Hope
by nitscali1
Summary: Magneto may have a new hope in this young woman, Natalie.  Will he find love again?  As I forgot my disclaimer in my first two chapters, I do not own X-Men; this is purely for my own amusement.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own X-men; the only thing I own is Natalie. **

**Note: I would appreciate any reviews. Thanks!**

**Chapter 1**

**Magneto watched the girl struggle like a fly in a spider's web. Two of his cohorts, Mystique and Sabertooth, held her firmly. She glared at him, unable to do anything more than that. He could feel the anger coming off her in waves…she was not one to submit easily. Gesturing to his guards, they released her. She sprang at him, only to be brought short by a chain that wrapped around her and held her still. Still attempting to move forward, she fell over on her side, still squirming. He stood there, staring down at her. He was wearing an elegant purple armor, with a dark red cape over it. A helmet completed his image, covering his head snugly; she was still able to see his elegant face.**

**At 5'7, 149 pounds, this girl did not frighten him. Her dark brown eyes promised retribution that she would be unable to mete out. Her flaming red hair was tangled around her, disturbed by her recent fight. Her black body suit was unwrinkled and conformed to her shapely body. She was calmer now, simply glaring at him again. Realizing that there was nothing she could do to free herself for the moment, she decided to save her strength for more important battles.**

**"My dear Natalie, you do realize that I did not bring you here to harm you. If that was what I wanted, I could have done that anywhere. For now, let's just say, I'd rather have you here than roaming about freely, all right?" Magneto's bright blue eyes rested on the now still young woman in front of him. Gauging her reaction, he judged it safe to release her. She stood up hastily, brushing her hair straight with her hands. A bruise was forming on her right cheekbone, a testament to the fight she had put up. She brushed it gingerly and winced at the pain it caused. **

**In a firm voice, she stated, "I don't care why you brought me here…I'm interested in leaving. Tell me what I have to do to make that happen." She planted her feet firmly and crossed her arms. He laughed, and she scowled. She hated to not be taken seriously.**

**"You are not leaving here. There is nothing you can do about it. Sabertooth, take her to her cell. Do **_**not **_**hurt her again." He growled, but nodded his assent. Roughly grabbed her arm, he began dragging her down the hallway. She hissed at him, but allowed him to continue towing her towards her intended destination. '**_**Perhaps I will be able to make my escape from my cell,'**_** she pondered. She wasn't strong enough to really hurt Sabertooth, although it would be quite satisfying to try. Natalie sighed, realizing that, at the moment, the situation seemed quite hopeless. She stared listlessly at the ground, when suddenly she noticed that they were about to proceed onto a bridge of metal planks. She balked at crossing it…she was absolutely terrible with heights. She panicked and twisted out of his grip; he was surprised enough that he allowed her to slip out of his hand and run off the other direction. Roaring in frustration, he took off after her. **

**She dashed through the hallways, not daring to stop for a breath. She used to be in track, so she wasn't completely slow, but she **_**could**_** sense that she was out of shape. Natalie was slowly running out of steam. Turning a corner, she saw something interesting. Seeing what looked like a door to the outside, she zipped towards it. When she reached it, she tugged on the door, expecting it to open. When it didn't, she looked around and didn't see anything odd. Sighing at her luck, she turned around and ran back towards the intersection in the hallway. Turning left, she ran smack into Magneto. **

**She automatically kicked out, but he deftly avoided her and used a nearby metal bar to secure her again. She recognized that there was no possibility of her escaping from **_**this **_**man. He was the most intelligent out of the bunch, she noticed. Mystique hadn't said much, so she didn't really get a good gauge of her capabilities, but she **_**had **_**noticed that Sabertooth was the equivalent of a hired brute. He had a lot of brawn and no brains to speak of. **

**Turning her attention back to Magneto, she looked at him defiantly. "Your defiance will win you nothing. You **_**are **_**going to stay here; nothing you can do will change that. You are merely attempting to avoid the inevitable," he said to her. Magneto lifted her into the air with his powers, and walked along those same corridors she had raced through, and they were back at the bridge. She was okay with hovering above the ground; she wasn't really that far off. It was only a few inches. The thing she really did have a problem with was this bridge. She supposed that it was safer traversing this with him having her hovering in midair than her walking. **

**Remaining quiet, she allowed him to transport her across the bridge and to her new home. He waved his hand, and the bars parted for him. He moved her into the cell, and the metal bar that kept her imprisoned fell to the floor. Apparently, he didn't think she needed it anymore; she moved towards the open bars in a last attempt to escape, but they closed just as she reached them.**

**Natalie resigned herself to a long stay. Looking around, she saw that there was one window, of sorts, opposite the bars that led to the bridge. '**_**It would create a nice cross-breeze**_**,' she thought. Other than that, there was a cot in one corner and a toilet in the other. She wondered how there could be plumbing in a cell like this one, and that thought kept her occupied for all of five minutes. Then, she began pacing the length of her cell. She hated being confined. She supposed that all humans did…well, any sane human, she amended. Natalie wondered if this powerful creature would provide her with any materials for her amusement, or if he would expect her to sit here, every day, with nothing but her thoughts to keep her busy. **

**She sighed; she couldn't keep going on like this…it was so silly. Perhaps she would work on a story…she liked doing that in her free time; when she was in high school, that had been something she enjoyed doing in class to pass the time. She really only did that in Science classes, as she wasn't particularly fond of them. Now, that skill that she had cultivated would have to keep her occupied for the next few weeks…or years. Or decades…she had no idea how long Magneto was planning on keeping her here. **

**She didn't even have any idea **_**why **_**he was doing this. It didn't make any sense. She was just a typical 24-year-old. She was working on her Masters Degree in Library Science and was currently single. Her grades were excellent, but nothing out of the ordinary. She was a typical nerd, always with her head in a book, and that was the reason that she was single. Guys would have one date with her, and politely say goodnight; they wouldn't call back. She had been told she was pretty; it was true…guys simply couldn't handle such intelligent talk. Lately, she had been turning down any date offers, since this whole dating thing wasn't that important anyway. She was more interested in her studies.**

**Why didn't she ask him when she had the chance? He probably wouldn't have answered her, though. He appeared to be one of those who assumed that he was superior to everyone simply because of his powers. She had met some like that in college, who thought simply because their parents had money, that they were God's gift to women. **_**This was the mutants' equivalent**_**, she thought.**

**Natalie was aware of her small ability of precognition, but it didn't surface very often. She could make it appear at will, but she usually couldn't find something that important to know about. She didn't want to use her powers to become rich, although it would be nice. Natalie figured that would be cheating, and that wouldn't be right. She didn't think that her small powers were what he wanted her for, but she decided not to ask. If he **_**didn't **_**know about her powers, she wasn't about to enlighten him. With cohorts like Mystique and Sabertooth, he couldn't possibly be on the "good" side. It would be in bad conscience to help someone like that. Putting it out of her mind for the moment, she focused on what her perfect house would be, as a reason to pass the time.**

**She passed the next few hours constructing her perfect house in her head. Natalie was steadily working on the second floor when she heard footsteps coming towards her.   
Standing up quickly, she observed Mystique, the blue-skinned woman walking across the bridge, holding a tray. Natalie wondered what she was capable of; she was quite sure that Magneto would not keep her around unless she had some special capabilities. Mystique came closer, and she slid the tray through the space between the floor and the bars. Then she turned around and left the same way she came. **

**Natalie looked at the contents of the tray; they seemed fairly innocuous, and her stomach was rumbling, so she chose to eat. There was corn, a ham sandwich, and a glass of water. It wasn't the most exciting lunch she had ever encountered, but she wasn't going to gripe; at least they had remembered to feed her. When she was done, she set the tray aside and went back to working on her house. **

**The days passed on like this for a couple of weeks, until one day, Natalie decided to get Mystique to bring Magneto back. She was getting real tired of spending all her time cooped up in a cell. Surely there was some way that she could convince him to allow her out from time to time. At first, Mystique wouldn't even answer her, but after a few days, she finally gave in. "I'll tell him," was all she said. Natalie waited impatiently for dinner, when she would most likely receive her answer. The time seemed to stretch forever. Her dinner was later than usual that day; she could tell by the position of the sun that it was about an hour later than usual. Finally, she saw someone approaching her cell. Surprised, she realized that it wasn't Mystique; it was Magneto! She hastily stood up and awaited his progress. After what seemed like an eternity, he arrived at the bars to her cell. He wasn't carrying a tray though, and she was puzzled. Maybe he was angry with her for making such a request, so he decided to punish her by not feeding her. Realizing that thought was pretty silly, she discarded it and instead decided to wait until he spoke. **

"**Mystique tells me you wish to be allowed to go outside. After your little displays a few weeks ago, tell me, why don't you, why you feel I should allow you such a privilege." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her, waiting for an answer.**

**She looked back at him, her answer ready. "I think you should if you want me to stay so docile. Have I stirred up anything lately? Have I been anything but well behaved? Don't prisoners get rewarded for good behavior? Look, if you want, I'll give you my word that I won't escape for the time being. I can't promise that I'll never escape, but for now, that won't be a problem." After arguing her case, she waited for his response. He was deep in thought for a moment, and then he nodded. Gesturing, the bars to her cell opened, permitting Natalie to exit. She eagerly dashed out, then remembered the bridge that she had to cross. Natalie stood frozen at the entrance, afraid to move. She had a scare a few years ago, in a plane. It came close to crashing, and she had never been the same about heights again. **

**Magneto seemed to sense her panic. "What's wrong?" he asked impatiently. **

**"Umm, I'm happy just hanging out here…we don't have to cross the bridge or anything." He nodded in understanding. **

**"You're afraid of heights," he stated. Natalie nodded sheepishly.**

**"I know it's silly; there's probably nothing wrong with the bridge; I just can't quite bring myself to cross it. I'm sorry." She waited for the disdain to spread across his features, but none appeared. His face was a mask, and she was incapable of reading anything from him. **

**"As a temporary fix, I propose that I bring you across the same way I did the last time we made this little journey. You didn't appear to have any problems with it then," he suggested. Natalie arched an eyebrow when he said **_**temporary**_**, but she let it go for the moment. She grabbed on to his suggestion like a lifeline. **

**Emily "Uh, sure. That sounds like a good idea." He took out a small metal ball from some unseen pocket and manipulated it with his abilities so that it became a round metal platform. Natalie looked dubiously at that. How could that be any better than the bridge? He saw her disbelief and smiled shortly. He stepped elegantly onto the platform and held out his hand. She nervously took it and stepped close to him. He wasn't wearing his metal armor this time, only his black undershirt and pants.**

**"I don't bite," he commented, and pulled her closer, so she was resting against his chest. She struggled briefly, but he didn't appear to wish to let her go, so she subsided. Soon enough, they reached the end of the bridge. She felt relieved, or at least that's what she told herself. Having Magneto that close to her did a little something interesting with her brain; she decided that she'd analyze those feelings later. The platform stopped moving, and she leapt off it, glad to be done with the bridge, for now. She didn't see it, but he smiled slightly. Magneto quickly composed his face and stepped off the platform. He led her through a few corridors and to an elevator. That elevator took them high up into his fortress; he was taking her to his outside observatory, where he had dinner all set up for her. When the elevator doors opened, her eyes widened in surprise. **

**"It's so beautiful," she breathed, afraid to disturb the beauty she found there. For a moment, she forgot she was up high, she was so distracted by the view. Then, reality came crashing down. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself that she was safe. This was the top of a building, not a plane flying in the air. **

**Forcing herself to focus, she paid attention to the table Magneto had set up in the middle of the roof. There were two wine glasses set up, and a bottle of wine sat chilling in a pail, alongside what appeared to be a bottle of apple juice. Did he know about her aversion to alcohol? Her eyes widened a moment at that thought. Her eyes took in the rest of the table. A nice white tablecloth sat on the table, and each end of the table had a plate with a metal cover on it. The two chairs that were up there were nicely ornate, having an almost antique feeling to them. The chairs pulled back as they approached, and when she went to sit down, it pulled itself forward so it was underneath her when she sat down. The only thing this table was missing, she thought, was candlelight. This appeared dangerously close to a romantic dinner; that was not at all what she wanted. Magneto was the enemy. He was not to be trusted, and romance **_**did **_**require some degree of trust. This was **_**not **_**going to work. If that's even what this was, she mused. The covers removed themselves, and Natalie laughed. This was not at all what she expected from her captor; instead of some really elegantly made up food, her plate contained macaroni and cheese and broccoli, two of her favorite foods. She giggled; she just couldn't help it. **

"**I wouldn't have guessed you had it in you," she said, between giggling fits. Magneto looked on in amusement. **

"**I am full of surprises," he commented. Lifting up his own cover, she saw that he had the same thing as her.**

"**You're a mac and cheese person?" she asked, astonished. She would never have believed it of someone so averse to most things human, as well as humans themselves. **

"**Did I not say I'm full of surprises?" he questioned, picking up his fork so he could begin eating. Natalie shrugged, doing the same.**

"**I suppose I just did not expect it from you, is all." She began eating; she really enjoyed the meal. It was better than she had had in a while. Closing her eyes, she savored the cheesy taste. Realizing that she was very hungry indeed, she quickly polished off her plate. She and Magneto did not say a word until they were both finished. **

**Natalie stood up, suddenly needing to get some distance between them. She had read about the Stockholm Syndrome, in which the captive fell in love or began to sympathize with the kidnapper. She had rolled her eyes in disgust at such weak willed people, but now she could see how that might happen; she hadn't even been in his presence that often. It was really a perplexing conundrum. She didn't understand it at all. How could this happen…? Here she was, eating at a table with her kidnapper. He evoked these strange feelings inside of her; she didn't really understand what was going on. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. **

**Magneto watched her with a frown on his face. He was well aware of her mostly strong willed nature. **_**She may not go along with this,**_** he thought to himself. She would need more coaxing. With time, he figured, she'd come around. She was important to him; he could wait. Patience was needed with this one. Standing up, he reached for a jar that he had sitting on the table. Walking up behind her, he tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped and whirled around, expecting an attack of some kind. He simply waited, not speaking, and she arched an eyebrow in response. **

"**You shouldn't sneak up on someone like that," she said crossly, attempting to cover up her alarm that she hadn't been more aware.**

"**And you, my dear, should be paying more attention. I was making enough noise that you should have heard, had you been mentally present," he retorted. She blushed at this. She really should be paying more attention to his presence than her personal thoughts. There was plenty of time for that in her cell, later. "Now, hold still. I am going to put something on that bruise of yours. Sabertooth hit you pretty hard, since it's still there." Natalie instinctively stepped back, afraid of letting him get close. Realizing that she was being a bit silly, she stepped forward again to allow him to take care of it. He tilted her chin up so that the light could better illuminate her cheek. "You're lucky he didn't break any bones; he is a strong creature," he commented lightly as he worked on smoothing some salve into the bruise. She winced slightly as he touched it. It didn't hurt so badly now, but there **_**was **_**a little pain left. The salve felt cool to her cheek, and then she felt nothing. Magneto still held her chin in his hand, and he gazed into those dark, glittering eyes. They held a hint of curiosity, and a hint of alarm. She was still having issues deciding what to do about him. He could tell she was interested, but she was still divided. **

**Natalie struggled in his grip, uncomfortable with the contact, so he let her go. She was really out of her depth; she could sense that he wanted something, but she was unsure of how she wanted to handle it. The appropriate way, of course, was to tell him to stay the hell away, but she had to admit, she **_**was **_**mildly interested. She realized that she**_** still **_**didn****'t know why she was here. **

"**Magneto, why am I here?" she asked boldly. She planted herself in front of him and crossed her arms across her chest. He laughed at the idea of her challenging him in any way. He outweighed her, was taller than her, and was stronger than her. There was no way she could force the information out of him. He **_**did **_**want to tell her; it was just that he couldn****'t come up with a good reason. Was he supposed to tell her that he was considering her as a possible mate? If he did that, she was sure to resist. Magneto was quite sure that Natalie did not have a full idea of what was going on. He rather wanted to keep it that way for the moment.**

**At last, he answered. "You are here because I wish it to be," he said simply. Let her make of that what she would. She looked a little disappointed; perhaps that was not the answer she was looking for. **

"**That's not really an answer," she replied. **

"**It is to me," he said. "You will get no other explanation, so you will have to be happy with the one I have just provided for you." She glared at him for a moment, and then she turned away. "This is so silly though. It's not even like you spend any time with me." She stopped after saying that, realizing that she sounded like a girlfriend rather than a prisoner. Kidnappers were not supposed to spend time with their prisoners. That was not how it worked. She blushed, but he couldn't see it, as her back was turned to him.**

"**I am sorry for that," he said calmly, as if this were a perfectly rational conversation between a couple. "I have been tied up with some business and have been unable to be here as much as I would have liked." He had been busy working on creating his machine to turn all the humans into mutants. The process was going well; he had tested it yesterday on Senator Robert Kelly. It had worked; he would have liked to spend more time analyzing the results, but Senator Kelly had escaped. He still had Sabertooth locked up over that one. He sometimes wished he had brighter people to assist him, but all of those were on Charles' side. It was really quite frustrating.**

"**Well, don't worry about it. I'm fine on my own." **_**She had to put an end to this conversation**_**, she thought desperately. This was not the most appropriate conversation to have with her captor. She **_**had **_**to remember what he was. He was not her friend…she was his prisoner.**

**He nodded. "I'm sure you are." He could sense her growing alarm and decided to move this conversation onto new ground. He decided that it was time for her to move into real quarters. He had a feeling that she wouldn't leave him now. She was feeling a growing attachment to him, and although she wouldn't admit to it, she liked his company. She was trying to deny it…he could see the struggle she was going through. "Come with me. I have something to show you." Without looking to see if she would follow, he started walking in the direction of the elevator. Natalie hesitated for a second, and then she raced after him. Magneto held the elevator doors open for her, and they slid smoothly shut after she stepped in. They were both silent on the way down. When the elevator stopped, the doors opened, and Magneto stepped out. He continued on down a corridor, and she followed grudgingly. Following was not in her nature, but in this case, she **_**did **_**recognize the superior power of his, so she allowed it, for now. Natalie wasn't stupid. She was well aware of her capabilities, and now wasn't the time to fight. The corridor ended in a closed door, and Magneto stopped in front of it. **

"**These are to be your new quarters," he said, gesturing to the door. Natalie arched an eyebrow in curiosity. She wondered what had prompted this particular change in venue. **

"**Interesting. And what, may I ask, made you change my living quarters?" She was a bit suspicious, and she had every right to feel that way. **

"**If I had done this earlier, you would have fled." She started to argue, but he raised a hand. "You know it as well as I do…" She nodded shortly, agreeing with him. "Now, I feel you are adjusted enough to stay somewhere other than that homey little location that you were previously staying." Magneto opened the door, and Natalie gasped. Inside, it was gorgeous. The amount of money that went into that…It must have been a lot. Her family hadn't been that wealthy, as her mother had been single-handedly raising her and her brother by herself.**

**She stepped inside and looked around, admiring the décor. The walls were stone, but old tapestries and such hung there. There was a large round bed in the center of the room, with blue sheets and her favorite brown and tan blanket over top the blue comforter. Natalie turned around and looked at him curiously. "How did you know?" she questioned. He smirked.**

"**I have my ways," was all he said. She decided it was more important that she had her blanket. She had her weakness, and that blanket was it. Natalie raced over to the bed and picked it up, holding it up to her face. It still had that comforting smell that she loved so much. **

**Magneto's smirk changed to a satisfied smile. He was glad she was happy; he went to her house specifically to find that one object that she had a particular attachment to. He figured it would make the transition easier. He had the idea that she would be easier to deal with if she was at least a little happy. Magneto suddenly realized that he wanted her to be happy. All those little things, like obliging her request to leave her cell, the dinner, and more importantly, the blanket, were all signs that he was trying to impress her. He couldn't for the life of him think why. **

**She was just a girl…beautiful, he admitted to himself, but he had seen his share of beautiful women. Why, Mystique was beautiful. They had enjoyed a brief fling but had ultimately decided to keep it as friends. Mystique did not quite challenge him as Natalie did. Natalie considered herself his equal, and she had no qualms about telling him no. Mystique had put herself in the role of his subordinate, and after she had done so, they hadn't been able to enjoy a proper relationship. It just hadn't felt right. **

**Come to think of it, it really hadn't felt right since Magda. He could almost hear her telling him to go for it. She was an important chapter of his life, even though she had eventually chose to leave him. Magneto had come to realize that he had been frightening to her, and while he did not forgive her leaving him, he understood why she did it. He was no longer angry at her, and he felt that he had come to some important realization. Charles would have had something psychological to say about that, he was sure. **

**A noise distracted him from his musings. Turning back to the bed, he saw that Natalie had gone as white as a crisp book page. She slowly crumpled to the floor. Alarmed, Magneto ran to her side. If anything happened to her…He didn't even realize what he was thinking. "Natalie, what's wrong? Can you hear me?" He gently shook her. She moaned, and he sighed with relief. At least she was still alive. **

"**I'm fine," she whispered. He looked quite unconvinced. **

"**Nice try, Natalie. What really happened?" He looked like he wasn't going to leave until he had received an answer, so she told him.**

"**I saw that Senator Kelly guy. The one who has been such a jerk towards mutants. He died; it was horrible." She covered her face with her hands, as if she couldn't bear to face it. She could still see the image of Senator Kelly turning into water. She vowed never to drink another glass of water. The idea of something that terrible happening to anyone made her shudder. **

**She continued, "a guy in a wheelchair was reading Kelly's mind. I know why he died. It's part of that experiment you've been doing. That's why you haven't been here. That _business_ that you've been tied up with," she spat. Her face wasn't quite so white now; it was tinged with red. The fury of her gaze frightened him a little. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, and she wasn't able to tell, but he was alarmed. Mentally, he knew that she wasn't able to harm him, but psychologically, it was a different story.**

"**Natalie," he started to say, but she cut him off.**

"**Don't even try to explain yourself. There's nothing to say. I'd like to be taken back to my cell now, if you please." Her eyes were no longer friendly. Now, they held hostility in them. He sighed. They had been making progress. Magneto nodded mutely in agreement with her request. Perhaps now would not be the best time to move her here. He gestured for her to precede him, and she did so, clutching her favorite blanket in her arms. _At least she had found favor with that,_ he thought sardonically. She glared at him as she walked by, and he felt that glare sear his armor. _If looks could kill…_**

**She continued to walk in stony silence until they reached the bridge. The platform was still there, but she didn't take it. She couldn't. How could she accept help from a murderer? It just didn't sit right with her. She looked at the long expanse of bridge and sighed. If only she wasn't so bad about heights. A metal bar wrapped itself around her and hovered over the bridge. She struggled for a moment, and then she stopped, not wanting to fall. Natalie made a smooth journey across the bridge and into her cell. The bar released her gently, and she stood on her two feet. She glared at the bars on her cell as they straightened into place. Magneto strode away, and she was left alone with her thoughts. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Professor Charles Xavier was scanning the news, as part of his daily routine before heading downstairs for breakfast. He turned on the television after finishing the paper; sometimes the television had something a little more recent than the paper did. Charles wasn't sure what he was looking for. He just had this feeling that he should be looking for something.**

**The main story was a kidnapped young woman, about 25 miles from where he lived. He was about to change the channel to another when he saw pictures of some of the damage that had been done to the house. "Magneto," he said aloud. Magneto was the only person who could have done such damage. He scanned the area around the fortress where Magneto resided but picked up nothing. It appeared he would have to visit the fortress and find out for himself what was going on.**

**Natalie had spent a long, restless night trying to sleep. She had finally fallen asleep, but she was having this odd dream.**

**It started out okay. She was in a room full of books, and she was seated comfortably on a recliner in front of the fire. The scene changed, and suddenly she was in the plane that had come close to crashing a few years ago. Those events were unfolding again, in her dream. She looked out the window, and she could see the storm clouds brewing. A voice over the loudspeaker said to fasten their seatbelts, and everyone did so. She could feel the fear in the cabin; it was palpable. Natalie could see the lightning flashing, and there had already been a few near misses with the wings of the plane. So far, everything had turned out all right. _Spoke too soon, _she thought. A brilliant flash of light accompanied the smell of ozone in the air. She could feel the rush of air and realized that there was a hole in the cabin. It was fast losing pressure, and she could see that the plane was going down. She freaked out and looked down. She realized how high up they were, and she thought they were going to crash. The plane was plummeting towards the ground, and then Natalie woke up with a scream.**

**She sat up in bed and wiped her face with one hand. Natalie did not enjoy reliving that experience. That was why she was so afraid of heights. She shuddered and stood up, suddenly feeling the need to pace. She walked the length of her cell for a bit. Natalie stopped and stared outside. It was beautiful tonight. If only she had been free. Then she would've been able to go out. She watched the waves crashing against the beach, thinking of how to get out of here. No matter her silly attraction to Magneto, she couldn't stay. She _had _to find a way out.**

**Yawning, Natalie realized that she needed more sleep. She crawled back into her bed and cuddled her blanket. Within a few minutes, she was back asleep again, this time with no dreams.**

**Magneto was sitting in his favorite place on the roof. He often went up there when he needed to brood. No other beings could get up there, perhaps with the exception of Toad, and Toad knew good well not to bother him when he was on the roof.**

**He knew that Natalie was angry about Senator Kelly's death. He had not meant for that to happen; he only wanted turn him into a mutant. He went over the machine and could not find any flaws. For now, he had decided to suspend the transformation. He did not want anyone else to die.**

**A whoosh of sound interrupted his thoughts, and he flew towards it. A ship was the source of the noise, he realized. That ship looked familiar. It was the Blackbird, the X-men's ship. What could they possibly want? Charles did not condone the destruction of anything, so he knew they weren't here to destroy the machine. Magneto also knew that Charles knew of the machine, as he had read Kelly's mind. He was surprised to see Charles exit the ship. That was not at all what he was expecting. Touching down gently next to the ship, he nodded to Charles.**

"**What brings you here, Charles?" he asked. Charles brought himself closer to Magneto.**

"**I am here to see a girl I suspect you have in your home. She does not belong to you. You should not have taken her, Erik."**

"**You won't take her from me. I will allow you to see her, though. She is probably in need of some company about now. She saw Kelly's death," he said with some regret. The sun was slowly starting to rise, and it lit up Magneto's weary and devastated face. He was too tired of hiding his feelings. He gestured to the house. "I expect you know the way, Charles."**

"**Thank you, Erik," Charles said gently. He was worried about the state of this young woman now. He had no idea when he saw the news report that this girl was a Seer. He simply knew that she was kidnapped. He could tell from Magneto's expression that he cared about her. Charles might not have been able to read his mind, due to the helmet, but he _was _able to read facial expressions and such. Magneto looked like he had lost everything. _She might be the one person who can save him, _he thought excitedly. He had always hoped that Magneto would turn away from evil eventually. Charles and he had once been good friends. Perhaps there was still hope that they could be that way again.**

**He moved through the door and towards where he knew the cells to be. He reached the bridge easily. Crossing it, he finally gazed on the form of the kidnapped young woman. She was sleeping peacefully, curled up with what appeared to be her favorite blanket. Regretfully, he spoke her name softly. "Natalie, wake up." She must have been a light sleeper, as her head popped up instantly.**

** Recognition crossed her face. "I remember you from the vision I had. You're the guy who read Senator Kelly's mind, right?" She didn't need confirmation. She recognized the wheelchair and the bald head.**

** "Yes, Natalie. I am Professor Charles Xavier. Everyone's worried about you. How are you doing?" He put on his paternal face. Everyone tended to respond well to that.**

** "I'm fine, for the most part. Magneto hasn't hurt me in any way." What she was saying was true, she thought. Other than that incident with Kelly, and that hadn't really hurt her, he had not harmed her. "I just want to leave." This was true and it wasn't. She was still a bit fascinated by him, despite what he had done. It disgusted her in a way. She sighed. How could she still feel this way, even after she knew what he did?**

** "I'm glad to see that you're okay," he said at last. "I am concerned about what happened to Senator Kelly as well." She glanced up at him in shock.**

** "Were you reading my mind?" she accused. He shook his head.**

** "I am incapable of doing so here. Erik has placed certain safeguards that will not allow me to use my telepathy here. I can see by your face that you are thinking of him. You are divided in your heart. Part of you wishes to continue to seek him out, after what he has done. Part of you wishes to run away. Only you can choose what you are going to do. I feel compelled to say, in his defense, he was not aware of what his machine was truly capable of. He thought he was only turning humans into mutants. He was not aiming to kill anyone. I suspect he is feeling quite horrible about now. Erik _is_ capable of that particular emotion, and I feel quite sure he is feeling it now. You two are rather well suited. Both you and Erik are fairly intelligent people. I can tell you, just to let you in on a secret, he has a huge library here." Natalie's eyes lit up. Libraries were one of her favorite things. Charles could see that he had her attention. "I understand that right now, you're fighting your growing attraction to Erik. You are in a hard situation. Under normal circumstances, you would be attracted to him, if that makes this any easier." Natalie appeared to be thinking about what he had said.**

** She could see that he was telling the truth. Natalie suspected that Magneto had tried to tell her the truth earlier, but she had refused to listen. Sighing, she realized that she would have to speak with Magneto. "Will you tell Magneto I would like to speak with him, please?" She wasn't sure what she was going to say yet, but she figured she'd muddle through it. Charles nodded his assent.**

** "You'll have to come visit me at the mansion. I'll let Erik know that he'll have to take you. I must leave now; I shouldn't leave my students alone forever," he said wryly. "My students will probably get into too much mischief if left to their own devices for too long. I will see you again." Natalie nodded to him, and he carefully turned his chair around and left. She figured she had a few minutes before Magneto would be here. She panicked, not knowing what she was going to say. She hated apologies. They were so hard for her, even when she knew they were necessary. The minutes appeared to go by like seconds, and before she knew it, she heard the familiar tread of Magneto's on the bridge. She looked up, and there he was. She felt a little flutter in her heart, but her face remained calm.**

** "Look, I'm sorry." Natalie shifted uncomfortably, looking away from him. She heard the bars part, and Magneto stepped in. She backed away, not because she was afraid he was going to hurt her, but because she was afraid to be so close. An expression of curiosity crossed his face but was quickly masked, before she saw him.**

** "It's all right. I realize now that I was wrong." His comment came out grudgingly. Both he and she did share one thing in common. They were not good at admitting they were wrong. She looked at him cautiously. His bright blue eyes glowed with sincerity. She took a long look at him before she nodded.**

** "May I take you to your quarters now," he asked tentatively. He wasn't quite sure if the crisis was over, but he recognized that a peace offering was needed.**

**She thought about it and said, "I would like that very much." Natalie saw what Magneto was trying to do, and she didn't mind. Putting out her own olive branch, she said, "they are beautiful." Magneto stepped back through the bars, and she did the same after grabbing her blanket, stopping again at the edge of the bridge. Creating that same disc, Magneto stepped upon it and waited for her to join him. She did so, careful to avoid touching him. He did not push the issue this time, as he didn't want to scare her anymore than he already had. The journey was silent, both wrapped up in their own individual thoughts.**

**The disc stopped moving, and both stepped off it. Magneto and Natalie walked side by side down the corridors and back to that door again. This time, it was she who pushed it open. She grinned, happy to be in a more hospitable room. Natalie ran to the bed and flopped down on it, relishing the comfort. "I love it," she said happily, and Magneto felt his heart expand just a little. It was almost like that human Dr. Seuss story "The Grinch". His daughter Anya had loved that story. It always made her giggle. Speaking of books…**

"**Natalie, would you like to see my library? I imagine that spending all your days staring into space will get quite boring." Magneto mentally hit himself. Why did he have to stir up trouble by mentioning her spending the rest of her life here? She didn't appear to notice though, and he carefully began breathing again, not having realized that he had stopped.**

"**I'd love to," she said with such enthusiasm, he gave her a grin of his own. It appeared that she had been distracted by mention of books. "Professor Xavier says that he has a library too…is it as big as yours?"**

**For his ego's sake, he was tempted to say yes, but it just wouldn't have been right. To lie about that was to open the door for other lies, and he wanted to be as honest with Natalie as possible, even on a matter as silly as this.**

"**It's bigger. Charles was more the academic than I. It is not to say that I was totally disinterested. He also had more money than I did. It was easier for him to indulge his book fetish. I am still proud of my own collection. A large bulk of it is in German, as that was the language I grew up with. I do have a nice selection of English stories that you can read," he continued, as they began the walk to his part of the fortress.**

**Natalie began to be a bit dizzy, walking through all these corridors. She had no idea which way they had gone, and she would need his help getting back. Finally they reached a set of double doors, and she stepped aside so he could open them. Her mouth gaped open again when she stepped inside. Books lined the walls, and she realized that there were no ladders to get to the books that were very high. As Magneto could fly, it was really a non-issue. She found a nice armchair near the fire and sat down in it, soaking up the warmth. She cuddled with her blanket and enjoyed the atmosphere. If she were a kitty, Magneto felt quite sure that she would have began purring at any moment. He sat down in a chair near hers but made sure that she had her space.**

"**Well, if I'm to spend any quality time with you, I'd like to know a bit more about you. Is your family still alive?" She knew the instant that she asked that it would have been better if she had not. A look of acute pain crossed his face, and she instinctively reached out to soothe but pulled back, afraid of her reception.**

"**They died in the camps," he said at last. She gasped. Remembering reading about the Holocaust wasn't the same thing as actually knowing someone who had been through it.**

"**That must have been really terrible for you," she said, attempting to empathize. It was a hard thing for her to conceive.**

**Magneto took her comfort in the spirit it was meant, and he didn't comment on the lack of effectiveness. "I don't even know when they died. I simply know I was separated from them and my sister, and I never saw them again. Believe me, I looked. After the Allies freed us, I scoured the earth for them, on the idle hope that they might still be alive. I found nothing. I knew they were dead…even though no evidence was found, I know this to be true." He cleared his throat. "Onto you, Natalie. What are your parents like?" He was eager to change the focus onto her.**

"**My father left us when I was 9. My mother had to raise my younger brother and me by herself. We lived on food stamps and hand-me-downs. I never understood why my father left us. We were such a happy family. I realized later that there were things going on that I didn't know about. I always thought it was my fault. Later, I learned it was a thing that kids went through. They think it's their fault when it's really the parents' fault. I love my mother; she was the one who got us through everything. She was always there for us, even though she worked so much. She always considered us to come first, which was a hard thing to do. When I applied for a scholarship to Harvard, she was the one who encouraged me. I took the LSAT and passed with flying colors. Soon enough, I had my law degree, but I still wanted something more. I am currently working on my Masters Degree in Library Science and am thinking about going back to school to get my Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice." Magneto looked amazed. This girl, _woman, _he corrected himself, had done all this in 6 years, and she still wanted more!**

"**Most impressive," he told her. Natalie grinned.**

"**I was offered an internship with one of the most prestigious law firms but had to turn them down when my mother got sick. I ended up going to school, working, and taking care of my mother and my brother. She recovered after a few months, and I was able to focus solely on myself again. It was really frustrating, having to juggle school, work, and my mother. I resented my mother for a while, even though I recognized that it was an unfair thing to do. She doesn't know, although I imagine she has her suspicions. I felt guilty about being so selfish, but my school was so important to me. I don't resent her anymore; I've had some time to work past my feelings. Mom and I have a great relationship again." Natalie sat back then jumped up again. "Oh my god, I've been so insensitive. My mother is probably panicking with worry about me, while I'm sitting here so comfortable. Is there a way I can contact her?"**

**Magneto looked up at her thoughtfully. "Charles, I imagine, will be able to reassure your mother. You do remember, of course, that he has telepathic capabilities. He will be able to successfully get her to accept that." Natalie's face lost some of its worry, and she sat back down with a sigh of relief.**

"**Yeah, I kind of forgot about that. He _did _say that he would let everyone know I was all right." She looked a little uncertain, and Magneto reached out to touch her arm, but this time it was he who pulled away, uncertain of her wishes. She didn't appear to notice, too wrapped up in her own thoughts and feelings. They sat in silence for a moment or two, until Natalie broke the silence with a sigh. "This just seems so surreal. Is this even happening? Maybe I knocked my head or something and this is all a dream." She didn't sound too hopeful. This didn't really feel like a dream," she thought.**

**Magneto was unsure as to how to respond. It was an unusual situation to find himself in. He was _always_ sure. "Perhaps we're all in a dream," he replied quietly. How he wished it were so…although this was a rather bad dream to wish oneself in, he further reflected. _He _dreamed of a place where all mutants were looked upon as humans' betters, where they belonged. He caught Natalie yawning and realized she was probably tired.**

"**Why don't you get some sleep, Natalie? There is plenty of time to talk later when you are more rested." Magneto stood up, ready to leave. Natalie hadn't realized how late it was. She yawned again. Nodding sleepily, she laid down, cuddling her blanket with her. Magneto turned the light off to her quarters and closed the door softly. **


End file.
